Chess/Checkmates

Introduction Checkmates are an essential part of the game of Chess, being the objective of the game. Checkmate is when you are checking the opponent's king and there are no legal moves to get out of the check. Some mating patterns are named. There are 36 named mating patterns in Chess and a handful of well-known early opening checkmates. kd ql kl Example of checkmate. Named mating patterns There are 36 recognized named mating patterns in Chess. Back rank mate The back rank mate is when the opponent's king is on its home rank and is being checkmated on that home rank by an opponent's queen or rook, while its escape squares are blocked by pawns or other pieces. rd nd ql kd pd pd pd pd pl pl rl kl Example of back rank mate. Epaulette mate The epaulette mate is when the opponent's king is on ranks 1 or 8 and is checkmated, its escape squares cut off by its own pieces, usually rooks. This checkmate is usually performed by the queen, checking the opponent's king orthogonally while cutting off diagonal escape squares. rd kd rd ql pl kl Example of epaulette mate Swallowtail mate The swallowtail mate is when the opponent's king is not on the edge (a or h-files or ranks 1 and 8) and is checkmated, usually by a queen orthogonally adjacent to the king, its escape squares diagonally blocked by its own pieces. rd kl rd kd ql pl pl Example of swallowtail mate. Kill box mate The kill box mate is when the opponent's king is on the edge checkmated by a rook and defended by a queen, forming a box around the king where the queen and rook control every escape square that the opponent's king could've moved to. kd rl ql pd pl pl kl Example of kill box mate. Cozio's mate The Cozio's mate is when the opponent's king is checkmated, usually by a queen diagonally adjacent to it, its orthogonal escape squares blocked by its own pieces. This checkmate is named after Carlos Cozio and is also known as dovetail mate. pd qd kd ql kl Example of Cozio's mate. Triangle mate The triangle mate is when the opponent's king is on the edge of the board and is checkmated by a queen, while a rook defends the queen and cuts off the remaining escape square. The checkmate looks like a triangle between the queen, rook and opponent's king, thus the name. kd ql rl pd kl Example of triangle mate. Max Lange mate The Max Lange mate is when the opponent's king is checkmated by a queen, defended by a bishop which also controls an important potential flight square for the opponent's king. This checkmate is named after German chess player Max Lange. ql bl pd kd pd bl kl Example of Max Lange mate. Balestra mate The Balestra mate is when the opponent's king is on one of the edge ranks (ranks 1 and 8) and is being checkmated by a bishop, while a queen controls most of the king's escape squares. The final position looks similar to a pair of scissors. kd bl ql kl Example of Balestra mate. Bucking Bronco mate The Bucking Bronco mate is when the opponent's king is in the corner of the board and checkmate is delivered by a knight while a queen covers the escape squares that the opponent's king could potentially move to. qd nd kd ql nl rl kl Example of Bucking Bronco mate. Sneaky Stallion mate The Sneaky Stallion mate is similar to the Bucking Bronco mate, but instead of the opponent's king being in the corner, it is on the edge of the board. The opponent's king is checkmated by a knight while the queen covers escape squares and the last escape square is blocked by its own piece. kd nl ql kl Example of Sneaky Stallion mate. pd Damiano's mate The Damiano's mate is when the opponent's king is checkmated by a queen, defended by a friendly piece. The king's potential escape squares are either controlled or blocked. This checkmate is named after Portuguese chess player Pedro Damiano. rd bd kd pd ql pd pl kl Example of Damiano's mate. Lolli's mate The Lolli's mate is when the opponent's king on the edge is checkmated by a queen orthogonally adjacent while being defended by a friendly pawn. This checkmate is named after Italian chess player Giambattista Lolli. qd kd pd ql pd pl pl kl Example of Lolli's mate. Blind swine mate The blind swine mate is when the opponent's king is on their home rank and is checkmated by a rook on the 7th rank defended by another rook on the 7th rank which also controls a key flight square while the last square for the opponent's king is occupied by a piece. rd rd kd rl rl kl Example of blind swine mate. Smothered mate A smothered mate is when the opponent's king (that is, the one getting checkmated) is unable to move, because it is trapped by its own friendly pieces. Scholar's mate This checkmate is when the queen checkmates the king on e8, with the queen being on f7 whilst it being defended by the bishop on c4. This type of checkmate is usually played by beginner players. An example of a Scholar's mate|left|thumb|208px Fool's mate This checkmate is the fastest checkmate possible in chess, and can happen in just two moves by black. Similar moves by white may take place, but it can happen, for example, as shown in the gif, where white plays g4, with black responding with e5, white then plays f3??, allowing black's queen to checkmate the king. thumb|left|An animation of a possible fool's mate sequence. Tactics Exercises Strategy